A Beginners Guide to Retargeting

It is rare that the sales process is a simple one. We all wish that the phone would ring or that email would come in with that big order with very little work from our end. Now, doesn’t that sound like a dream! Unfortunately sales and marketing is never that straight forward and we have to work hard and strategically to get it right.

It is a well-known fact that a customer has to be reached numerous times before they are likely to make that first purchase. So whether through your website, email campaign or Facebook Ad we have to be prepared to make our customer’s journey as smooth as possible. One way to achieve this is through retargeting ads. This marketing strategy is becoming more and more popular but can be quite complex in the early stages.

To give you a helping hand here are the basics you need to know before making a start.

What is retargeting?

Unlike most digital advertising methods, retargeting deals with people that you have already had some level of contact with. It gets you back in front of people that may have already visited your website or be a contact in your database. Retargeting will specifically target these people with the aim of converting them into a paying customer.

What are the benefits of retargeting?

You can choose your audience

When running adverts you never know who it will appear in front of but by using retargeting you have much more control over who will see it. Plus, you already know they have expressed some sort of interest in your company.

Better CPC

More often than not retargeting gives a lower cost-per-click than other types of online advertising.

Reach current customers

When you add new services, offers or products this is the ideal way of letting current customers know what is available for them.

Brand Exposure

Retargeting is the ideal opportunity to gain a greater level of exposure. By having your ads appear all over the internet to interested customers it keeps your brand at the forefront of their minds. Even if that customer is not planning on immediately doing business with you it will keep you on their agenda.

What types of retargeting can you use?

There are various types of retargeting but the most common are as follows:

Website retargeting – This works where a pixel is placed when someone visits your website and doesn’t convert. Ads are then shown to these users after they have left your site.

CRM retargeting – This is retargeting based on a list you have compiled.

Email retargeting – This works where people are retargeted depending on the actions taken on promotional emails they received from you. This can be done by targeting people who opened the email or who clicked on certain links.

Search retargeting – This will retarget ads to potential clients who have searched for specific keywords on Google or Bing. This is more likely to target people who have had no contact with your brand.

The use of retargeting is increasing rapidly across the digital landscape and is well worth investigating for most companies. Many businesses are allocating a percentage of their annual marketing budgets to this strategy. Facebook and Google are the two main players when it comes to retargeting and are the primary areas where you would start your retargeting efforts. As retargeting can be quite a complex matter, it is best to bring in experts to help ensure you maximise your spend. Contact us at Totem so we can help you with your next campaign.